Liquid cooled friction rim



E. ROBERTS LIQUID COOLED FRICTION RIM Filed Sept. 10, 1937 2 Sheets-Shsret 1 INVENTOR EUGEN E ROBERTS ATTORNEYS Feb. 20, 1940.

E. ROBERTS LIQUID COOLED FRICTION RIM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 10. 1937 INVENTOR EUGENE ROBERTS 7 Y E ATTORNEYS 5; Anotherobject of the invention is Patented Feb. 20, 1940 LIQUID ooom n FRJ 'rIOrI Imin=1. Eugene Roberts, Hastings, Y., assignor to Western States Machine CompanyQNc'w York, N. Y., a corporation jof Utah Application September 10, 1937-, serial ism-163,175":

' 51. Claims. "(01. 192-9119;)

This invention relates torthe cooling of friction rims for clutch andbrake mechanisms and the like. It provides improvements of particular importance for use with heavy machinery which 5 operates at high speeds on short operating cycles, with frequent and rapid acceleration and deceler ati'on'to and from top speeds. I

."Certain types'of centrifugal machines used inthe manufacture of sugar, for example, are now -being operated on short cycles of less than three minutes, with acceleration from dead stop to speeds above 1250 R. P. M. in less than one minute and'decelerationfrom top speed within-a period of thirty seconds. These centrifugals generally 1 employ drive transmission clutches embodying an annular friction rim and internal, expanding type friction shoes for transmitting'strong driving torquefrom a constantly revolving line shaft toJth'e spindle'ofthe centrifugal; slippage between the clutch shoes and friction rim during the acceleration stage of each cycle generates a great deal. of heat, which, if not dissipated, quickly heats up the friction parts andb'urns I out pads on the clutch shoes. Each occurrence of this sortresults in annoying and very costlyinterr'uptions to operations.' I e Clutches and brakes used with machinery of this type heretofore havebeen provided with certain means for dissipating the heat generated thereinby friction. The most common expedient has been'to' cool the friction parts by controlling the circulation of air in and around the same during operation of the machine's;- "While this is often satisfactory for operations on relatively long cycles, with prolonged acceleration and deceleration, it does not provide sufficient cooling effect for the type of operations referred to above, and within recentyears an improved type of con struction utilizing a hollow friction rim and means for supplying a stream of cooling liquid thereto, as described in my Letters PatentNol" 2,060,826, has been placed in extensive use. The 1 present invention provides another-type of cooling" which in some respects is superior to that dis-s closed in said Letters'Patent. I

Among the objects of this-invention are to providesimplified, more .efilcient andmore economical means for the external cooling of friction rims; to provide cooling meanswhich are composed of few parts, which'maybe adapted easily for use on various types of clutches and the like, and which make it unnecessary to use complicated structure for supplying fresh cooling liquid and disposing of used liquid.

apparatus also includes cooperatingparts on'the and clutch mechanism.

animproved method; and meansafor cooling a revolving friction rim'which have a high coolingefficiency dueto the maintenance of intimate heat, exchange between thin, freely 'vaporizable films of thercooling liquid and the frictionrim and which consequently enable perfect cooling of the rim, and with a small volume of liquidr -Another; 'object'of'theinventionis to providecooling means 'for 'revolving frictionwrims which operates through the application of .a spray of cooling liquid to the: outer side of the rim and q embodies means effectively preventing passage; of the liquid to the'inside of'the'rim into contactwith operative parts iof -the machinery. Stillanother object of the invention is to pro 15' 7 vide anximproved method and means for cooling-- revolving friction rims which result in; much greater coolingefficiency thansystenis heretofore used and'which enable thedegreeof'cooling and the temperature'of the rims to be kept under ac. 2

curate control. A further object is to providev a system .-which mayutilize water of almost any quality as the cooling medium without-'.,encoun-= tering difficulty due to accumulation of scale and solid ,deposits of various sorts.i mj -F The -apparatus of my invention,'in generaLycomL. prises an annular friction rim having an "exterior; surface which may be cooled i and an' interior sur-' face for frictional engagement with clutching or: brakingmeansymean's for directing a stream of 0 liquid .in the form of a spray-onto theexte'rion surface 'of' the-rim to cool the same and to dissipate the heat generated by-frictional engage-' ment of the clutching or 'braking' elements' with theinterior surface, and'anannular shield sur rounding'the 'rim and'operativeto. collectliquid thrownofi the'rim by centrifugal force and to carry it to an appropriate pointfor disposal. In I the preferred embodiments of the invention; the

. 40- shield and on the friction rim whichserve max-g clude liquid from the interiorofith'e rim.

The improved method utilizing this apparatus and details of a s'uitablema'nner'of placing the" invention in actual use are set forth in the ensuing description, which. is clarified by reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred forms of the apparatus. gIn the; drawings,

- Figure 1 is a'vertical section showing an application of the invention to a combined; belt pulley Figure -'2 is an" end elevation of theconstruction' shown in'Figure 1. to provide Figure-3 is an exploded-perspective:viewmus-455' trating the principal operating parts of the construction of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 shows another embodiment of the inventionin'which it is applied to another type of revolving friction rim.

Among the several types of gyratory centrifu'gal machines used in the separation of granular a common line shaft by means of a quarter-turn belt passing. over a pulley on the line shaft and a pulley mounted on the vertical spindle of the centrifugal. In Figures: 1, 2 and 3 1- illustrate a pulley construction of the kind used on the line shaft in the described driving arrangement, and this pulley is shown in combination with clutching means for establishing a drive transmitting connection between the pulley and the line shaft and improved cooling means for cooling the friction rim of the clutch.

In accordance with usual practice, the belt pulley H1 consists of two mating pulley sections 12 and I 4, which are locked together and together form the pulley rim, a central hub 16 and a supporting spider l8 connecting the pulley-rim and hub. 'Pulley I0 is mounted ona line shaft 20 for revolution independently of the shaft. The transmission of driving torque from shaftzll to pulley 10 takes place through clutching means of any suitable type, the clutching means shown in the drawings being of a form which I have found especially desirable and which is described in detail in my United States Letters Patent No. 1,884,873, granted October 25, 1932. Since the clutching means as such forms no part of the present invention, it suffices to point out that it consists generally of a plurality of clutch shoes;

such as shown atzz, each'pivotally secured intermediate its ends to an arm 24 that is ful crumed at one end and connected with actuating linkage at another so that it is responsive to centrifugal forces created during rotation of the parts. The fulcral support for arm 24 and for the actuating linkage comprises a radial spider 2B which is keyed to the line shaft 28, as at 28. The'said actuating linkage is connected with an axially slidable collar 30, also keyed to theline shaft as at 32, and it is arrangedso that movement of collar 30 toward the pulleyforces arm 24 and shoe 22 toward a friction rim, and movement of collar 30 away from the pulley retracts these parts from the friction rim and therebyl interrupts driving engagement.therebetween.

In the illustrated form of construction the clutch shoes cooperate with an annular friction rim 34 which consistsof two mating semi-annular sections 36 and 38 and, when assembled, is

locked to the pulley spider I8, for example, by

and the friction rim during the acceleration. The

heat generated by this slippage, prior to my present invention, usually has been dissipated by air cooling of the rim. Cooling by circulation of air.

around the rim, however, does not take place quickly, and. when operating the apparatus at higher than ordinary speeds and accelerating it to such speeds with unusual rapidity, air cooling of the friction rim is entirely inadequate and considerable difiiculty arises through overheating and burning out of pads on the clutch shoes.

I overcome this problem of excessive heating of the friction rim and clutch shoes and at the same time avoid practical limitations of known liquid cooling constructions by providing the rim 34 with a surrounding annular shield 50, directinga'spray of cooling liquid, such as water, onto the exterior surface of the rim, collecting the liquid expelledfrom the rim in the shield 50, and disposing of the used liquid in an appropriate I manner. In the form of construction illustrated in the drawings, shield 55} comprises a pair of mating semi-annular sections 52 and 54 and an annularpart 5 6 which cooperates with the semiannular shield sections and the clutch rim 34 to ber 56 is fastenedv to this edge, for, example, by.

screws. As shown, member 56 includes an inwardly extending portion forming a U-shaped annular channel 12 that opens radially outwardly with respect to the axis of the shield. It cooperates'with a laterally extending annular flange 14 formed on a part 16 of the frictionrim 34 which extends radially beyond the interior surface thereof. The side of shield 50 away from pulley l0 embodies a radially inwardly extending portion forming an annular U-shaped channel 18, which faces radially outwardly in substantially the same manner as channel 12 and cooperates with a laterally extending flange on. an adjacent portion of the friction rim. Flange 80 projects from a part 82 of the friction rim which extends beyond the interior face of the rim.

Shield 50, at any desired point about its periphery, is provided with a lateral bore 84 com municating at one end with a conduit 86 for the introduction of a suitable cooling liquid and at the other end with a plurality of smaller bores 88 which are directed toward the adjacent exterior surface of the clutch rim. Liquid is introduced under pressure into bore 84 from conduit 86 and a spray of liquid is projected against the surface of the rim. As the rim is revolved excess liquid is expelled therefrom by centrifugal force, collected by shield 50 and carried by gravity to the bottom of the shield, from which it may be withdrawn through exit port 90, and then disposed of as desired. The constant projection of a liquid spray onto the revolving rim keeps a constantly renewed film of liquid on the exterior. surface of the rim, and this film prevents the rim from attaining a temperature substantially greater than; the boiling point of the liquid, In actual operation using a spray of water at ordinary temperatures as the cooling liquid the rim is maintained at a temperature considerably lower than 212 F. The temperature of the rim can be kept. under accurate control and can be varied in accordance .with particular working requirements by selection of the rate of flow of the of these practices ensures enamel:

plby staturatedi'apori cont I H wet stea' 'per'ature o approximately- 21291 high' latent heat-- of evaporation" films 'of the water from" the rim for tlie 'coolingiefiect. Any

friction pads whi'ch oth' se ,would ocurfrom overheating of-the art that the a spray may i; 'e" from severallocations nstea'd' of m-s'ngle lo rested-against the riin practical purpose'sl- The channels I2 and IE on the shield 58 and laterally extending flanges I4 and 80 on the rim constitute an effective means for preventingthe passage of liquid to the inside of the rim. Any "liquid passing to the channels is collected by them and carried to'thev bottom of the shield,

' where it passes off with the rest of the liquid.

Should liquid overflow the channel before it reaches the bottom of the shield, it contacts the adjacent extended parts of the rim and is im- -mediately thrown back into the shield by centrifugal force. If the spray from bores 88 is continued when the pulley and rim are at rest, the liquid flows freely around the exterior surfaceof the rim and passes out the exit port 90 without in any way coming into contact with operative parts of the-clutch mechanism.

Another embodiment of my invention is illustrated in Figure 4, in which are shown an annular friction rim I00 mounted for revolution on a shaft I02 and presenting an interior frictionvsurface I 04 and an exterior cooling surface I06,

a typical friction, pad I08, for engagement with surface I04, and means for directing a sprayof and for collecting and conducting away used liq- -uid. Surface I06 preferably is ridged to procooling' liquid against theexterior of the rim vide greater surface for heat exchange. As in the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3, a shield I I0 surrounds the rim and is spaced therefrom, and spray delivering means, consisting of a lateral bore H2 for receiving liquid under pressure from a conduit H4, and a plurality of communicating small spray bores H6. for directing spray jets onto surface I06, is formed in the shield. An exit port H8 in the shield serves to dispose of used liquid.

The form of construction shown in Figure 4 also includes cooperating means on the friction rim and shield for preventing access. of liquid to the interior of the rim. For example, opposite sides of the shield have inwardly extendedportions or flanges forming outwardly opening U- shaped annular channels I24] and I22, respectively, andadjacent portions of the friction rim have laterally extending flanges I24 and I26, respectively, which overlie these channels at points beyond the interior surface I04 of the rim. The operation of this form of construction is substantially the same as that of the form illustrated in Figures l to 3.

It will be understood that my improved liquid cooling practice may be utilized to advantage for the cooling of either brake or clutch rims wherever associated with internal friction pads or shoes. Thus the apparatus shown in Figure 4' might be adapted for braking purposes by securing rim I00 to shaft I02 and using friction pads I08 to stop rotation, or for clutching pur- "inst-' 'damage to the It will be understood the grim -with mechanism l-IOLb'eI' driven from :the;

shaft; In either event, -,when the mechanism is employed to'ieffec't abrupt changes in the s'pe'edfofheavy machinery a" large a mount of heatis genthe watencont'ains sediment or deposit-forming ingredients which would prevent its use in closed circulating systems, it presents no difficulties when used with my improvements. There is no possibility for objectionable accumulation of scale or sedimentary material in or on operative parts of the machinery, such material reaching the friction rim being thrown off immediately by the centrifugal force of revolution.

Details of. particular embodiments of my invention have'been shown in the drawings and described herein merely for purposes of illustration. I realize that these details may be varied without departing from objects of the invention or its essential characteristics, and I intend the invention to be given a scope commensurate with the spirit of the specification as limited only by the requirements of the, claims.

I claim:

1. A liquid-cooled friction rim construction comprising an annular friction rim having an exterior surface and an interior surface for frictional engagement with clutching or braking elements, means mounting said rim for rotation about its axis, means for directing liquid onto said exterior surface to cool the rim, and stationary means surrounding the exterior surface of said rim for collecting and conducting away liquid expelled .centrifugally therefrom during revolution of the rim, said rim being operative to direct all liquid delivered onto the exterior surface while the'same is at rest into said stationarycollecting means.

, 2. A liquid-cooled friction, rim construction comprising an annular friction rim having an for frictional engagement with clutching or braking elements, means for directing a stream of liquid onto said' exterior surface to cool the rim, an annular shield surrounding the rim, laterally extending flanges on said rim beyond said interior surface, said shield having spaced side portions enclosing said flanges andforming outwardly opening annular channels inside the same, and an exit port in said shield for discharging liquid therefrom.

4. A combined belt-pulley and liquid-cooled clutch rim construction comprising a pair of mating sections forming an annular pulley, a

' central hub and a web connecting the hub and pulley, a :pair of mating serni-annu1ar clutch rim sections removably secured together and to said web and forming a rim having an exterior cooling surface and an interior surface for frictional en-.

gage-merit with clutching elements, a pair of mating semi-annular shield sections secured together and mounted in surrounding and spaced relation to said rim, means in one of said shield sections for receiving liquid under pressure and directing a spray of the same against said exterior surface, cooperating means adjacent the sides of said rim and shield operative to exclude liquid from the interior of the rim, and means for discharging liquid -from said shield sections.-

5. In combination, for a centrifugal machine friction clutching; means onysai'dshaft', means adjacent said exterior sm'tace for directing liquid against the same while the rim is revolving to keep said exterior surface moistwith a film of liquids Shield urrou in th r mt l ql ect l q-- m expelled. cent 'lfu llr r 'm e-i exte ior surface, d s nsei utl t.commim c tin with the 'lowervgpart -oi said shield for "conducting excess-liquidtheretrom. EUGENE ROBERTS. 

